Trash removing means for cotton gins



Feb. 28, 1956 T. S. LOPEZ TRASH REMOVING MEANS FOR COTTON GINS Filed Jan. 16, 1953 I'll/A gy:

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O INVENTOR.

7" 5.1, BY O/aez United States Pa ent TRASH REMOVING MEANS FOR COTTON GINS Tino S. Lopez, Malaga, -N. Mex. Application January 16, 1953, Serial No. 331,529 1 Claim. (CI. 19-59):

This invention relates to improvements in cotton gin construction. More particularly, the invention has reference to an improved construction of that portion of a cotton gin known as a lambrequin, disposed adjacent the huller ribs of the gin.

The main object of the present invention is to provide an improved lambrequin construction wherein there will be incorporated a trash removal means that will provide for a more effective separation of trash from the lint cotton than is possible with conventional trash removal devices now employed.

The removal of trash from the cotton to be ginned is even more important at the present time than it has been in the past, due to the fact that a substantial part of the cotton now grown is picked by mechanical picking devices, which devices are incapable of eliminating trash during the picking process.

Heretofore, it has been proposed to provide trash removal means, including air blasts or jets, disposed in the vicinity of the gin saws, but those devices of which I have knowledge and which fall within this category have not, in my opinion, proved commercially feasible, for the reason that the air is usually induced at a point at which the trash will again become mixed with the lint, thus to preclude effective cleaning of the lint.

Accordingly, it is one important object of the present invention to provide an improved trash removal device which will introduce the air through the lambrequin, with the greater part of the trash being driven with the seed between the huller and ginning ribs, in such a manner as to prevent said trash from again coming into contact with the lint.

A further important object is to provide a device of the character stated which will be so designed as to permit the use ofthe same for the purpose of introducing moisture to extremely dry cotton, it being true in conventional gin constructions that a part of the grade is lost due to the brittleness of the fibre.

Still another object is to provide a device as stated which will be so designed as to permit the application of heat to extremely damp cotton, to dry the same to a selected extent, and at the same location.

Yet another object is to provide a lambrequin construction as stated which can be readily substituted for lambrequins presently in use, without requiring excessive modification or redesign of the gin stand in which the lambre quin is to be mounted.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure l is a fragmentary transverse sectional view through a gin stand, showing the improved trash removal means in cross section, as it appears when in use;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view through the trash removal means in which parts remain in elevation, a plurality of gin saws being illustrated fragmentarily in operative relationship to said trash removal means; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the improved lambrequin construction.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a generally conventional gin stand has been designated generally by the reference numeral 8, and includes as a component part thereof an elongated mandrel or shaft 10 on which is mounted a longitudinal series of rotating gin saws 12. Usually, eighty or more gin saws are provided in a gin stand of the type illustrated, said gin saws being spaced closely apart as best shown in Figure 2.

The gin saws 12 are spaced apart by spacer blocks, not shown, and between each pair of adjacent gin saws, there is extended a ginning rib 14, the ginning ribs extending to one side of a roll box 16.

Spaced closely from each ginning rib 14 is a huller rib 18, and disposed adjacent the huller rib is a picker roll 20 The cotton to be ginned has been designated by the reference numeral 22, and in accordance with normal practice, said cotton is fed upwardly along the peripheries of the saw blades 12 by the picker roll 20, said picker roll being disposed within the conventional huller roll box. It will be understood, in this connection, that conventionally, the seed cotton is engaged by the picker roller and is carried by the spikes of the picker roller into engagement with the saws, the seed cotton being then carried by the saws through and between the huller ribs 18, the huller ribs discharging the function of arresting bolls, stems, and like foreign matter while still permitting the passage of the lint and seed into the roll box. Within the roll box, the saws pass through the cotton, causing the mass of cotton in said box to rotate constantly, so as to come into contact with the serrated saw peripheries in a manner effective to cause the saws to strip the lint from the seed, the lint passing between the several ginning ribs 14. The seed, being arrested by the ginning ribs, drops downwardly through the space between the ginning and huller ribs.

All this is conventional in a cotton gin, and does not, per se, constitute part of the present invention.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a lambrequin construction which includes an elongated, flexible air hose 24, said hose extending from a suitable source of air under pressure, not shown. Preferably, the air supplied under pressure through the hose 24 is forced therethrough under a regulated, predetermined amount of pressure, and it will be understood that the pressure regulating means can be any of various conventional devices. This, it is believed, is sufiiciently obvious as not to require special illustration.

In any event, at its outlet end the hose 24 is coupled to the inlet end of an elongated air supply tube 26, said supply tube 26 constituting, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, part of the lambrequin 21.

The air supply tube 26 is formed from a suitable length of pipe material, and constitutes a manifold from which air is forced at a plurality of locations spaced along the length of the pipe. In this connection, under ordinary conditions, there is forced through the pipe 26 only compressed air, but if it is desired to condition the cotton to either dry or moisten the same, moisture or heat can be introduced into the pipe 26 if desired. To

this end, a moisture supply tube 28 is in communication with the pipe 26, at one end of said pipe, and moisture can be forced through the supply tube 28 under pressure, whenever desired. A valve 30 is mounted in the tube 28, so as to ordinarily hold the same closed.

Similarly, heat can be applied through a heat supply tube 32 communicating with pipe 26, said pipe 32 being provided with a valve 34.

The larnbrequin 21 has, throughout its length, spaced long prongs 36, the prongs being disposed in a row extending longitudinally and centrally of the air supply tube 26, saidprongs being fixedly connected to the wall of the tube 26 in any suitable manner.

The prongs 3-6 alternate with the saws 12, in the manner shown in Figure 2, the long prongs.36 ,extendingradially and inwardly of the saws, beyond the peripheries thereof. The long prongs 36, as shown in Figure l, are disposed adjacent the huller ribs 18, at the upper ends of the huller ribs, said long prongs being arranged in the space between the huller ribs and the roll box. Each prong has an angular extension 37 at its outer end.

Alternating with the long prongs 36 are short lambrequin prongs 33, the short prongs 38 being of tubular formation and communicating with the air supply tube 26. The short lambrequin prongs 38 extend slightly beyond the mid-length location of the long lambrequin prongs, and as will be noted from Figures 2 and 3, at their outlet ends, the short lambrequin prongs have flattened nozzles 40 arranged transversely of the peripheries of the several. saw blades 12. Each short lainbrequin prong 33, as will be noted, is extended within the planeof a. saw blade 12, the flattened nozzles being so arranged as to force lots of air along opposite faces of each saw blade, in the direction shown by the arrows in Figure 2.

At this point, it should be noted that compressed air does not necessarily have to be used. instead, air can be forced through the manifold by fans.

The construction is one that directs the air jets substantially radially and inwardly of the several saw blades, said air jets being projected transversely of the path of movement of the seed cotton as it moves past the huller ribs 18 to the roll box.

This arrangement causes fine pin trash, motes, and the like to be blown out of the seed cotton, before thecotton enters the roll box. This construction is particularly advantageous because the cotton will not have actually have been ginned at the point at which the air jets are introduced, the cotton being conditioned by said air jets while first reaching the saw blades. The result is that the trash will not have been ground up so fine as to prevent its ready removal from the fibre. Further, there is no possibility of the removed trash again becoming mixed with the lint, in a manner which would prevent effective cleaning of said lint.

It will be understood that the device constituting the present invention can be used with a plurality of gin stands, and it is anticipated that a single air supply tube 26 can be extended past a number of gin stands, to supply air under pressure to all of said stands. Further, air would be supplied, preferably, through both ends of the single air supply tube 7.6, and would be controllable by suitable valve and pressure regulating means.

Heretofore, it has not been proposed, to my knowledge, to utilize the lambrequin as a means for supplying air under pressure to the cotton to be ginned, and it is also considered 'to be an important characteristic of the invention that the air is so introduced as to condition the cotton before the cotton is actually ginned.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor isthe invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles ofoperation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction =that .rnay be permitted within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

in a. cotton gin having a roll box, a plurality of spaced gin saws, and a huller rib disposed between each pairot adjacent gin saws; a gin larnbrequin construction comprising an elongated air supply tube adapted to be connccted'incornmunication with a source of air under pressure, spaced moisture and heat supply tubes connected in communication with said air supply tube and adapted to be connected in communication with a source of moisture and a source of heat respectively, control means in said moisture and ;'heat supply tubes for regulating the supply of moisture and heat entering into said air supply tube, a plurality of long lambrequin prongs spaced longitudinally of said air supply tube; and aplurality of short, tubular llarnbrequin prongs alternating with the long prongs and communicating with the interior of the air supplytube, sa'id short lambrequin prongs being disposed in theplanes of the gin saws of a cotton gin and having nozzles arranged transversely of said planes, to direct air under pressure and moisture and heat'introduced into said air supply tube substantially radiallyand inwardly of each gin saw adjacent the huller ribs associated with said saw, thereby to direct'je'tsof air, moistureand heat through cotton to be ginned immediatelyatter said cotton passes between the huller ribs and causing trash to be blown out of the seed cotton before it enters the roll box.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 510,269 *King Dec. 5, 1893 1,010,731 Dickson Dec. 5, 1911 1,028,701 Fordycc- June 4, 1912 1,155,188 .Zalondek Sept. 28,1915 1,448,022 Wood Mar. 13, 1923 1 464,811 Evans Aug, 14, 1923 1,827,183 Bennett Oct. 13, 1931 2,158,752 Fowler May 16, 1939 2,325,183 :Hopper July 27, 1943 2,654,126 Wallace Oct. 6, 1953 

